World
The Senate Rejected the Censure Motion Against Jaime Andrés Beltrán
The housing minister will remain in office after the upper chamber dismissed the request backed by the Historic Pact. The debate stemmed from his trip to Santa Marta after the August 10 earthquake.
Colombia’s Senate rejected the censure motion filed against Housing Minister Jaime Andrés Beltrán over his trip to Santa Marta during the weekend following the August 10 earthquake. The vote ended with 61 against and 27 in favor, so the official will remain in office.
According to El Tiempo Colombia, the initiative had been promoted by the Historic Pact and was resolved after the debate held on September 9 in the Senate, where Beltrán responded to criticism over his presence in that city and presented an assessment of his first month at the head of the ministry.
After the vote, the minister said the result benefits the country because, he said, there is a roadmap to move forward with reconstruction. He also called for calm and noted that his ministry has been working for 34 days on the emergency response, while warning about the additional challenge posed by the El Niño phenomenon.
According to El Tiempo Colombia, during the debate Beltrán again apologized to those who felt offended by the controversy sparked by the trip. He also defended the photos in which he appeared with his wife and children in Santa Marta and said his commitment to that city will be reflected in works tied to access to water.
The same outlet said the vote did not produce the political effect sought by the motion’s backers and noted that this tool has never succeeded in the country’s history.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this event.
